What Level of education do your parents have?

[Holliemorrisonx]

As we have the threads about parents jobs , what about parents education



I think one has a degree and one left school at 16.

[dameofdilemma]

My dad left school at 16, my mother at 12. They grew up in a country where education was not mandatory. They have no recognised qualifications.

I graduated with a 2:1 from Cambridge Uni in a time when free education and a booming job market made those sort of aspirations possible.

The UK has regressed in this respect. The only people who claim there is a meritocracy are those who will never have to rely on that principle.

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Neither of mine, or either of DH’s have any qualifications at all. Out of the four of them, only Fil got into the grammar school and he was a bit of a waster (definite ADHD traits) and was basically chucked out.

DH and I are both first in our families to uni, have degrees and masters. We are in our 50s though.

[Cobblersandhogwash]

Both have masters degrees.

[Fireinthegrate]

My parents left school in the UK at 15 back in the 50’s. i left school after O Levels but did a college course gaining A Level equivalent qualifications. One of my daughters went to Uni and got a 2:1 degree, the other left education after A Levels and Works in a management role.
I think it’s easier to go to Uni now in the UK.
When Ieft school in the 80’s hardly anyone I knew went to Uni.

[GreekOddess]

My mum left school at 14 and my dad at 15. Neither of them gained qualifications.

[Kez200]

14 went into a confectionery apprenticeship.

16 went into a hairdresing apprenticeship

[Kez200]

I should also add. 14 one had a private education. The 16 went to grammar school but failed her exams on purpose so she could be a hairdresser

[IdaBWells]

My dad left school at 16 although a lot of people assumed he had been to uni as he was very well read, collected antiques and art and was a successful businessman. This was in the 60s/70s and he died young.

My mum was incredibly intelligent and won a scholarship to boarding school but then went onto teaching training college rather than uni. She was promoted to head of her school but died of cancer at 43.

In their relatively short working life my parents bought two homes. A large home in London and a second home in the country. How times have changed!

I went to uni and got a 2.1 . Bro left school at 16 and now owns a very successful business. We are late 40s.

[Alarae]

Neither of our families have education beyond initial schooling- not even sure what my mum has as she was born in to a poor family (not this country).

Both our dads held respectable jobs, one an electrical engineer and the other headed a number of labs for Pfizer. Both however were qualified by experience with no formal education.

I have a 2:1 degree, along with the highest vocational qualifications in my area. My OH has half a HND as he never finished his apprenticeship.

[Wolfff]

Mum left school at 16, Netherlands early 1950s and took an office job before modelling. Dad left posh boarding school and then did national service before spending his inheritance. His sister went to the Sorbonne.
Both me and DH haves MAs and DDs are at uni.

[blindedbytiredness]

My mum has a couple of O levels then went into hairdressing not sure if she got any qualifications, my dad left school at 16 and worked for the council who then paid for him to do an engineering degree 10 years later which in turn helped him become quite a high earned in the private sector.

[BogglesGoggles]

One of mine has a medical degree (I always get confused about whether those are counted as undergraduate or masters level, I think it may depend on where you do it). The other one had a PhD.

[freshasthebrightbluesky]

My dad trained and qualified as a plater, which I think is something to do with technical drawings for structures made out of steel. He didn't like plating (?) though so did welding as a job instead.

My mum as far as I know has no qualifications.

I was the 1st in my family to go to university and get a degree.

2 siblings have no qualifications and my other sibling is quite high ranking in their field in the Armed Forces.

I am the most skint out of all of my siblings.

Dh's parents are educated and qualified to a high level (though I don't know what they are) but dh himself has none. He is better paid than me as well.

[confusedandemployed]

Both left at 16, Dad with 3 O levels and Mum with 4.
Dad went on to build up his own successful business, Mum worked as a secretary for a while but gave up work when she was pregnant with me.
DSis and I both have uni degrees, neither of us will ever be as successful as Dad.

[BitchQueen90]

Neither of mine have any at all. Neither do I. In fact nobody in my family has any past GCSE.

[Camomila]

DM did a secretarial course and left school at 17. She's done various adult education courses for fun...her and dad did video production at college together for a bit as a hobby.

DF went to high school and finished at 18. Did a unit of open uni in IT in his mid 30s and then did more IT qualifucations through work.

DBro and I both have 2+ degrees each.

We are immigrants though, and I think there's truth in the stereotype that that DC from immigrant families get pushed academically.

[DivisionBelles]

Mum went to boarding school, got a couple of O levels and went to secretarial college. Dad went to grammar school, got a handful of O level and then worked in advertising. I've got a BA. DB has a few ok GCSEs, two bad A levels and earns at least 3 times what I earn.

[OhTheRoses]

My father was a scientist and had a phd. My mother was highly trained in an artistic endeavour - not outing self. I dropped out of uni after one term but did prof quals and a masters later in life.

My step father left school at 15 with no quals but built up a significant building company and made far more money than my father but has also spent a large amount of it on lifestyle and pleasure.

[HerRoyalNotness]

At a guess they probably didn’t finish high school. We’ve never really talked about it. 🤷🏽‍♀️
GPs were farmers and out of 13 children not one has a degree. They would have all left school as soon as they could and started working. One of my cousins was the first in the family to get a degree as a mature student in her late 30s I think. Now some of my younger cousins have degrees, not many of them though. The next generation, their children and mine it will probably be more common for them to go on to further education.

[PolkadotLollipop]

DM left school at 16.

(Estranged)F left school at 16 and did an engineering apprenticeship.

Both from northern working class families and communities where this was the norm.

[bumblingbovine49]

Mum left school at 14. My dad at 8 years old, he grew up in a country and at a time where school was not mandatory after elementary level. His family lived in dire poverty so he was sent to live and work on a farm as a sort of indentured farm hand. Even in his 80s he talked about sleeping in the barn and how every night for.months he waited at the end of the lane in the evening after a day of work waiting for his.mother to come and collect him.

[MotherofaCat]

My dad has O levels and is a property developer. Mum has a HNC in health and fitness but has been on the sick for the past 15 years.
Sadly education was never promoted within my family but I have a Masters in psychotherapy and first class honours degree in psychology. My sisters have standard grade and one works as a carer while the other has never had a job.

[GorkyMcPorky]

DM had an O Level and a handful of CSEs. She got herself L2 AAT. DF has nothing.

Mum's parents couldn't have given less of a shit about their six kids' education and moved them from place to place. Mum wasn't allowed to do homework as it interfered with her work at home Dad and his brother view leaving school at 15 as a badge of honour. I'm a bit of a freak of nature really.

[MirandaWest]

My mum and dad met in a maths lecture at Cambridge university. They both did PGCE after that and were maths teachers

[weebarra]

My dad was a GP and my mum was a nursery head teacher. They were both from working class backgrounds themselves and the only people in their families to go on to higher education. They wouldn't have been able to do it now, but both got full grants.
I've got a post-grad, my late sister was a cleaner and my brother works in a bike shop.